When guitarist Zak Goldman says he's from LA he really does mean Los Angeles and not Leaventhorpe Avenue.

His is one of the few American accents you will encounter on the Bradford music scene.

But Nursery, above, the band he formed with vocalist Innis Stiles at the end of 1997, have a very English sound.

"I've always been a fan of English music more than American music," said Zak.

"I used to be in a band over in LA but I was also working in the music industry at the same time as a radio plugger and it just got too much."

Two years ago he decided to come to England to be in a band and finally landed in West Yorkshire, where he met Innis, then singer with Bradford band Bloom.

"I spent ages looking for other musicians to play with in places like London, Liverpool and Manchester, and in the end Innis and I lived really near each other. From LA to Shipley - not bad," said Zak.

"He's from Barnsley really. He just puts it on," interjected bassist Dominic Sheard, who joined the line-up from defunct Bradford band Green, who also featured current Albeit vocalist Kerry.

Nursery's personnel was completed by the addition of drummer Matt Fortune and the band have played eight or nine gigs so far as well as recording two demo tapes.

When Zak and Innis first starting writing songs together they discovered a shared love of classic guitar-based bands such as The Smiths, Radiohead and The Sundays. And Zak also confesses to an enthusiasm for lesser-known British bands such as Kitchens of Distinction.

"I went back over to LA over Christmas and the music there just seemed so middle of the road. It was all Hootie and the Blowfish," he said.

Last night Nursery were due to play a prestigious gig at Cairo Jack's in London as part of a showcase organised by the Talent Scout agency, which was so impressed by Nursery 's latest demo that one of the tracks, Spectacle, has been included on a CD being distributed among industry insiders.

And Nursery also have a Bradford date lined up for the end of the month.

But the four-piece are concentrating mainly on trying to get a management deal in 1999. They also aim to set up their own website soon, giving lyrics and other band information.

l You can catch Nursery live at Rio's in Woodhead Road, Bradford, on January 30 supporting Albeit. Ring (01274) 735549 for more details or tickets. Anyone interested in contacting the band can ring Innis on (01274) 563999 or send an e-mail to nurseryuk@hotmail.com.

Nursery - Two-track demo

You can see why people mention Radiohead in the same breath as Nursery.

But the Bradford-based four-piece owe their sound as much to the jangly guitar tradition of recent British pop history as to the highly-strung vocal techniques of Thom Yorke.

Innis Stiles's voice has the ability to switch effortlessly to falsetto as is the vogue with outfits such as Puressence but there is more to the band than that.

Bassist Dominic Sheard and drummer Matt Fortune form a sturdy rhythm section and Zak Goldman's guitar work can be strumming sweetly one minute before exploding into an attack of chords.

The track Spectacle, in particular, showcases Nursery's aptitude for acrobatic riffing.

Simon Ashberry

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.